NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200
August 18, 2012

Justin Lofton Michigan RACE REPORT

No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet Silverado

LOFTON'S BATTLE FOR THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP HEATS UP IN MICHIGAN

> NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver Justin Lofton continued his bout for the 2012 championship this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. With a 12th-place finish in Saturday's VFW 200, Lofton was able to close in on the championship points lead to reduce the gap to just 17 points.

Michigan International Speedway's new surface made for an exceptionally fast race with drafting as the main racing component. In fact, the 200-mile event looked more like Daytona than past events at the Brooklyn, Mich. facility. Having participated in Goodyear tire test earlier this summer, Lofton and the No. 6 Millennium VIP Group Private Jet Services Chevrolet knew they would be running wide open all weekend.

In round 12 of the 22-race season, Lofton rolled off 14th in his Chevrolet Silverado. He worked closely with the team to fine-tune the handling of their Chevrolet throughout the 100-lap race. The championship contending team stayed in the hunt most of the day running in the upper third of the field.

With only a few cautions throughout the course of the VFW 200, the race quickly became about fuel mileage. Lofton was racing inside the top 10 with less than 20 laps remaining. Low on fuel, Lofton brought the No. 6 Millennium VIP Group Private Jet Services Chevrolet down pit road for fuel during a round of green-flag pit stops. The stop relegated Lofton to the 20th position, but the driver paced himself to race back through the field and crossed the finish line in the 12th position.

"The Millennium VIP Group Private Jet Services Chevrolet was very stable and we were able to stay racy all day," commented Lofton. "It was crazy out there-trucks were moving all over the place. I think I was four-wide a couple of times. Our Chevrolet just couldn't suck up in the draft like I had hoped, and with a single-groove line it was hard for anyone to use the entire width of the track."

Lofton's crew chief Dan Bormann indicated that he knew that fuel conservation would play a role in the outcome of the race, "We conserved fuel all day knowing that we would need to have enough to finish. We just needed to draft a bit better in order to get to the front."

Entering the race weekend at Michigan International Speedway, Lofton was fourth in the point standings just 18 points out of the lead. Leaving the Irish Hills of Michigan, Lofton is still sitting in fourth place, but gained one point on the leader to be just 17 points out of first place. 10 races remain in the 2012 season.

The NCWTS will take on the World's Fastest Half-Mile at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday, August 22. Live coverage of the UNOH 200 will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on SPEED, MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, channel 90. Fans can visit www.teamesr.com, www.twitter.com/teamesr, or www.facebook.com/TeamESR for the latest news and updates about Justin Lofton and the No. 6 Millennium VIP Group Private Jet Services Chevrolet Silverado team.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200
August 18, 2012

Justin Lofton Michigan QUALIFYING REPORT

No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet Silverado

> NOTES:
No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet Finished: 14th
No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet Fast Lap: 39.885

> TV COVERAGE:
Live coverage of the VFW 200 from Michigan International Speedway will be aired on SPEED, MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 18.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200
August 18, 2012

Justin Lofton Michigan FINAL PRACTICE

No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet Silverado

> NOTES:
There were no incidents involving the No. 6 or 33 entry during the final practice session.

Justin Lofton and the No. 6 Lofton Cattle team only made a few runs during the final practice session. The team worked diligently to put the finishing touches on their Chevrolet.

Justin and the No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet team are 23rd in order for qualifying tomorrow.

> QUOTES:
Justin Lofton, No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet: "We have what we have with the Lofton Cattle Chevrolet. We know that it's going to be a draft race tomorrow, so we know that we'll be competitive."

> TV COVERAGE:
Tune in to SPEED at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning for NCWTS qualifying from Michigan International Speedway. Live coverage of the VFW 200 will be aired on SPEED, MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 18.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200
August 18, 2012

Justin Lofton Michigan SECOND PRACTICE

No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet Silverado

> NOTES:
There were no incidents involving the No. 6 or 33 entry during the practice session.

Justin Lofton and the No. 6 Lofton Cattle team worked hard during second practice as changes were made to the truck throughout the entire session. Dan Bormann called for continued adjustments in an attempt to tighten the truck up. Lofton logged the 13th-quickest lap time during the one-hour practice session. Through all the fine-tuning, the team learned how the truck reacted to different setup changes, and were able to determine what adjustments needed to be made in preparation for today's final practice session.

QUOTES:
Justin Lofton, No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet: "We wanted to try a few different changes just to see how the truck would react. Now we know what we have and how it can be manipulated. I feel like we're in a really good position going into the final practice session with the Lofton Cattle Chevrolet."

TV COVERAGE:
Tune in to SPEED at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon for a live broadcast of final practice from Michigan International Speedway. Qualifying from the two-mile oval will be aired at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning. Live coverage of the VFW 200 will be aired on SPEED, MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 18.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200
August 18, 2012

Justin Lofton Michigan FIRST PRACTICE

No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet Silverado

> NOTES:
There were no incidents involving the No. 6 entry during the opening practice session. The No. 33 made contact with the wall in turn two during the final five minutes of practice and was forced to roll out the backup truck.

With a new pavement at Michigan International Speedway (MIS), Justin Lofton and the No. 6 Lofton Cattle team got a sneak peek at the new surface during a tire test two weeks ago. The Lofton Cattle team completed four runs throughout the hour-long opening practice session, which included everything from solo runs, to participating in a draft and attempting qualifying runs. As a part of a short draft on the second run, Lofton logged a 39.426-second lap placing him 11th on the speed chart.

> QUOTES:
Justin Lofton, No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet: "Truck was fast off the hauler. The guys worked to make a few changes before we set out to make some draft runs. We shot up the board to second-quick while the guys continued to make adjustments. There were two late-practice cautions that shortened session and didn't allow us to make a long draft run."

> TV COVERAGE:
Tune in to SPEED at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon for a live broadcast of final practice from Michigan International Speedway. Qualifying from the two-mile oval will be aired at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning. Live coverage of the VFW 200 will be aired on SPEED, MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 18.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200
August 18, 2012

Justin Lofton Michigan International Speedway Event Preview
Fast Times in the Motor City for Lofton

No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet Silverado

> Racing at Michigan International Speedway... Justin Lofton will race at Michigan International Speedway for the third time in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) career this weekend in the No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet Silverado. In addition to his NCWTS experience on the 2.0-mile oval, Lofton has one NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start and two starts in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Racing Series. Lofton has one pole (2009) and one race win (2008) at Michigan International Speedway in ARCA competition. In his NNS debut at the speedway, Lofton started 19th and raced to a 16th-place finish.

> Top-Ten Finish at Pocono Raceway... Lofton continued to pursue his championship hopes with a ninth-place finish at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. As a result of posting lap times inside the top five throughout the three-hour practice session, Lofton was one of the final drivers to make his qualifying attempt. On his first lap, the track snapped loose in the tunnel turn backing in to the outside wall. Without time to spare, the No. 6 Millennium Private Jet Services crew worked tirelessly to prepare the back-up Chevrolet before the start of the race. With only minutes left, the ESR team was able to get the No. 6 Millennium Private Jet Services Chevrolet through technical inspection and ready for the race. After starting in 35th position at the back of the field, Lofton managed to maneuver his truck to an impressive ninth-place finish in the brief 50 lap race. Lofton left Pocono Raceway fourth in the championship points race, just 18 points out of first place.

> Meet Justin Lofton... The NCWTS will feature an open garage at Michigan International Speedway on Friday, August 17th. At 4:00 p.m., NASCAR fans will be invited into the garage to get a first-hand look at what goes on during a NASCAR race weekend. At the same time, the series' will host an autograph session in the garage near gate 55c. Wristbands are required to receive an autograph. Following the autograph session, Lofton will join teammate Cale Gale for a question and answer session at the Chevy Stage. Come out to meet ESR's driver lineup at 5:15 p.m. in the fan zone.

> Battling it Out for Points... With the 2012 NCWTS season just past the halfway point, Lofton continues to battle his competition for the championship. With 11 races complete and 11 races to go, Lofton currently ranks fourth in the NCWTS point standings, just three points behind third and 18 points out of the lead.

> Follow Justin... Follow Justin Lofton, driver of the No. 6 Lofton Cattle Chevrolet Silverado, on twitter (@jlracing) and facebook (facebook.com/jlracing), and check out loftonracing.com for the latest news and updates.

> Get the Inside Scoop... Follow Eddie Sharp Racing on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to get real-time updates and behind-the-scenes information: @TeamESR or facebook.com/teamesr.

> Watch and Listen... The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will make its annual stop at Michigan International Speedway this Saturday, August 18. SPEED will have broadcast final practice (2:00 p.m. ET, Friday) and qualifying (9:30 a.m. ET, Saturday) from Brooklyn, Mich. Live coverage of the VFW 200 will be aired on SPEED, MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.